The Sovereign Lords
by d-disaster
Summary: When three trainers reunite after their quests to earn eight Gym Badges, the last thing they expect is to be thrown head first into a great conflict involving a mysterious criminal group. What incredible events will unfold? Please R&R and enjoy!


**Prologue – Lightning Sovereignty**

A chill wind blew, cruelly displacing the neatly combed dark hair of a short broad man, who tried in vain to put it back into an ordered state as he strode briskly forward, black cape billowing out majestically behind him.

'Damned wind,' thought the man as he continued on his course. He disliked wind with a passion. It was so… disorderly, unpredictable and rebellious. The man stared fixedly straight ahead. Look any higher and he would be presented with the night sky, stars randomly distributed across it with no discipline whatsoever, and yet if he were to lower his gaze he would see an ever-shifting sea of grass blades, never in any fixed state, always in chaotic motion. "So much disarray, it makes me nauseous," he muttered as he drew to a halt. He held up his right arm at a perfect right angle, bent at the elbow, and shortly afterwards heard faintly the sounds of several pairs of feet coming to a halt. Horribly out of time, he noticed.

The man pivoted smoothly on the spot to face his five followers. They were arranged in a line, were of varying heights and breadths, but all wore the same black cape. The man before them cleared his throat, before placing his hands neatly behind his back and his feet at shoulder width apart.

"The target location is straight ahead," he began. "Is the equipment still in perfect physical condition? Report in, from left to right, starting with Chi."

The man on the far left, referred to as Chi, stepped forward and ran his free hand through his long matted dark brown hair. In the other hand he held a smart-looking briefcase, which he held up in front of him, with an annoyed expression. "It's fine. Look, everyone has theirs. Can't we just start this thing already? I'm getting bored."

"I still don't know what he was thinking, letting someone like you in," said the first man with a slightly sickened expression. "Let alone assigning you to the Kanto mission in the first place. But, since I trust his judgement, I will ignore your insulting statements for the time being." The man sighed heavily, as if to accentuate his point. "Now then, since everyone has their equipment, as pointed out so… courteously by Chi, we shall proceed with the plan. Sigma, take your team and WHAT???" the man shouted abruptly, as he turned to face the rightmost man to see that he was not there, and his briefcase was laid on the floor where he stood. "Damn that Sigma! Where did he slip off to while you were acting like a degenerate, Chi you idiot?" said the man angrily as he turned back to Chi, only to have his anger reach new heights when he found that Chi had also suddenly vanished leaving behind nothing but his briefcase.

* * *

Further along the route that the six men were originally following, Sigma ran swiftly towards the large construct ahead, his short spiky blonde hair ruffling freely in the wind. "Finally, I'm away from that pompous git," he muttered irritably.

"Yeah, he's such a twat, that Lambda, I can't stand him!" said another voice expressively as someone caught up to Sigma and ran beside him.

A small grin crossed Sigma's face. "Chi, you always make jobs interesting. Glad to have you with me."

Chi laughed heartily. "You flatter me. I find you more of a fascinating character than me, personally," he wondered aloud. "A guy who always acts so serious about his work, but then runs off and pulls stunts like this. What could the story be?"

"I don't know why we had to carry all that technical crap anyway," Sigma complained, completely ignoring Chi's speculations. "Phi's the technical genius, can't he just sort all that stuff out?"

"Yeah probably," Chi replied. "I think its just Lambda being his weirdo self, wants everyone to look the same and be orderly, so he gave us one fifth of the equipment each. I'm sure it must be some kind of OCD or something. Well, here we are." The two men ground to a halt; they were standing before a large technical compound. Chi smiled. "Front door?"

"I don't see why not," Sigma said, straight-faced. He reached somewhere into his dark clothing and pulled out a small red-and-white ball.

Chi followed suit, grinning broadly. "It's showtime."

* * *

"At it again are they, huh? What is this world coming to?" Shifting his legs into a more comfortable position, the security guard put down his newspaper and looked across at his co-worker expectantly. After a short silence the second security guard grunted, not bothering to look up from the novel he was currently engrossed in. The first guard yawned, smoothed a crease out of his smart black trousers, and lay back with his hands behind his head, rocking his chair gently. This, he decided, was a perfect night. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, there was a cool breeze blowing, and it was nearly the end of his shift.

Suddenly, the second security guard snapped his book shut and hauled himself to his feet. "I'll be right back, off to the toilet," he muttered hoarsely before waddling over to the reinforced steel door that the two had been charged with guarding.

The first guard picked up the newspaper again, slightly annoyed that his companion was taking a toilet break so close to the end of the shift. What did he think he was getting paid for?

Brushing off this brief disturbance, the guard began to bask once again in the peacefulness of the night, skimming through various newspaper articles telling stories of discoveries and of thieveries, of remarkable people and of infamous characters. He heard the tapping noise behind him of the second guard punching in the security code to enter the building. The lock made an audible clicking sound, before hidden motors automatically pulled the door aside. The first guard waited instinctively for the sound of the door closing behind the second guard. 'One. Two. Three. Four. Five.' He counted almost subconsciously. 'Five…' he thought. 'Doesn't it always close on five?' His heart momentarily skipped a beat; he jumped to his feet and spun around to face the doorway, but to his relief it slid smoothly closed. He slumped back into his chair, relieved. The motors must be getting rusty, he thought. Oblivious to the fact that his co-worker was now laid on the floor unconscious, and that there were two dangerous intruders inside the Power Plant, he contently picked up his newspaper once again.

* * *

Lambda strode furiously, sweating and red-faced, towards the Power Plant, barely resisting the temptation to run. After all of the precise planning and preparation, why did those two idiots have to run off on their own? After turning to confirm that his three remaining followers were still present, Lambda quickened his pace. At least some people still had some sense of discipline. Without stopping or even sparing a moment to turn around again, Lambda began to bark out orders.

"Listen here, the plan will have to be altered somewhat," he began angrily. "Tau and Upsilon will head to the front door, provide a distraction, cause a commotion if necessary. Your aim is to draw all security to the front." He paused to catch his breath, panting heavily. "Meanwhile, Phi shall accompany me in through the back entrance, and will find Sigma and Chi. We shall also bring with us all of the equipment, and set up once the building is clear."

'By we, he means me. He wouldn't ever consider a menial task of carrying five briefcases being anywhere near his level,' thought Phi dejectedly. He scratched his bald head, almost as if to stimulate his brain cells in preparation for completion of the task ahead. Subsequently the four men, without exchanging words, broke off into two groups of two, the Power Plant looming ever closer before them seemingly acting as a signal.

Phi was beginning to feel the strain of carrying five briefcases packed full of various electrical equipment, their combined weight sapping away at his energy a little more with each step he took. Phi silently followed Lambda round to the back of the Power Plant. As they drew up to the metallic wall of the construct, Lambda spoke.

"How irritating," he spat. "According to the plans I was given there should be a door right here." Lambda gestured angrily at the plain featureless wall. "No door in sight! How can there be a front door and no back door, it is completely illogical!" He attempted in vain to calm himself down.

"In any case, Tau and Upsilon should have drawn all of the guards away by now," Phi spoke for the first time in his deep voice. "I say we make our own door."

After taking a few seconds to collect himself, Lambda sighed heavily. "How messy. Well I suppose that will have to do, considering the circumstances." Lambda pulled a small red-and-white ball form within his jacket. He pressed a round button on the front, causing the ball to expand to become slightly larger than the size of the fist that held it. "Kingler, get us in!" he called as the ball opened up, seeming to almost split in to two parts, following in a stream of red light bursting forth. The light took form on the ground and solidified into a large crab-like creature with a majestic crown of spikes spanning the top of its combined head and body. Raising one of its dangerous-looking red claws, it struck the wall of the Power Plant, punching straight through as if it were paper. Kingler then proceeded to tear at the hole further to give it breadth and height enough for Lambda to enter without having to alter his upright posture. Lambda nodded in approval before entering the building, Kingler and Phi close behind.

Phi almost bumped into Lambda's back as he stopped suddenly in his tracks. "What… what is this?" gasped the mission leader.

Phi peered out from behind Lambda's broad figure, to see various security personnel, scientists and maintenance officers scattered all over the floor, all unconscious. Hearing a sound ahead, Phi scanned his eyes around the area. Two figures approached.

"Tau, Upsilon!" Lambda spluttered. "What's going on?"

"There was only one guard outside the front door, all the rest were out cold when we came in," came the reply. "Must have been Chi and Sigma."

"Damn!" Lambda cracked his knuckles, still angry but slightly relieved. It seemed that Chi and Sigma had managed not to totally ruin the operation. "Let's hurry this up. All of you, follow me to the generator room." Lambda once again took a Pokeball in his hand, but this time it sucked Kingler up like a hoover consuming a piece of dirt. After storing Kingler back in his jacket, Lambda began to move.

Phi, along with his two colleagues, walked briskly behind Lambda as he led them towards their goal. Weary of carrying five full briefcases, Phi was periodically switching the fifth briefcase from his right hand to left, and back again. He just wanted to get the job finished, and then have a long rest. After a short walk, Lambda called them to stop as they reached a high-security thick steel door, that looked like it would have taken a considerable amount of force to breach, if not for the fact that it was wide open.

The four men entered the dark room, led by a cautious Lambda. "How are we supposed to do anything in this dismal light level," he asked crossly, the question directed at himself more than his followers. "One of you find a light switch!"

Phi instinctively reached a hand out and stabbed at a point on the wall. All of a sudden the room was illuminated with yellow light, and a loud voice yelled, "SURPRISE!!!"

Chi was sat on an office chair in a clearing of the forest of unconscious night staff, arms raised above his head with a hysterical expression on his face. Sigma was leant against a wall, head rested in his palm in despair.

"I didn't think he would actually do it," Sigma said incredulously, before moving his body weight off the wall and fully onto his feet. He looked at Lambda with a puzzled expression; the mission leader was wriggling around on the floor as if he were having some kind of stroke. Sigma turned to Phi, who was stood over Lambda looking as though he would rather be somewhere else. "What's up with him?" he enquired, jabbing a finger in the direction of the spastic Lambda on the cold floor.

Phi shrugged, and shifted a briefcase from his right hand to his left. "Maybe he didn't like my little surprise," Chi chuckled. "We decided to take out all these guards early because we were soooooo bored!" he continued dramatically. "Poor sod, spent all that time making some elaborate plan when we just came in here and kicked their butts straight away!"

"I may as well get started," Phi sighed. "The sooner I start the sooner your fun begins, right?"

Chi nodded, his grin ever growing. "I'm actually getting really excited now. Not as much as Sigma though, you know?"

"Nonsense," said the blonde man flatly. Upon closer inspection, however, Phi saw that Sigma's whole body was quivering slightly, and there was a peculiar glint in his eye. 'Oh well, none of this really matters I suppose,' Phi speculated. 'All that matters is that I get things set up properly." The bald man picked his way carefully through the night staff sprawled out all over the floor, towards the heart of the Power Plant; the main generator. Phi laid out the five briefcases on the floor before the great generator, as though in offering to some electrical God. One by one, Phi clicked open the briefcases, revealing various pieces complicated electrical equipment that only a technical genius like himself would be able to understand.

While Phi began to remove, inspect and assemble the contents of the briefcases, Tau and Upsilon stood silently over Lambda, who's convulsions seemed to have lessened slightly. Chi was rummaging through the fallen Power Plant workers' jackets searching for valuables and money that they wouldn't miss, at least not until they woke up. Sigma, meanwhile, appeared to be watching Phi intently. In actual fact he was looking past Phi, into the depths of nothingness, trying not to get uncharacteristically excited about the event that he sincerely hoped would unfold shortly on the roof of the Power Plant.

After some time, Phi turned to face his companions. "All set," he reported. "Just need this to go through the roof."

Chi eyed the tall metal rod mounted on a square sheet of metal connected to a thick wire that Phi was holding. He turned to Sigma. "Is it just me or is that just a tall metal rod stuck on a square sheet of metal connected to a wire?"

Phi cleared his throat loudly. "This is where the large positive charge will be located," he explained. "The generator will act as a giant battery, which will be used to charge up the two thick metal plates; the bottom plate in this room and the top plate is this assembly here. This configuration will in effect create a giant supercapacitor."

Nodding understandingly, Chi took out a Pokeball. "Yeah, sure. I have no idea what you just said. I may not be a technical genius but I can make a hole in the ceiling, no problem." Phi held out the ball in front of him. "Dodrio!" A red light snaked its way out of the open Pokeball and materialised into a bird with long legs, a rounded brown body, no wings, and three heads mounted upon three long necks. "Use Drill Peck," Chi instructed, pointed at the ceiling above Lambda, who abruptly sat up and looked around.

"What the devil just…" the disorientated Lambda began, before Dodrio leapt up into the air and smashed straight through the ceiling with its tough beaks. Dust, plaster, and bits of metal rained down upon Lambda, sending him keeling over back to the floor.

"Oh Dodrio look what you've done!" Chi observed happily. "OK, now take this metal thing up there and put it on the roof would you?" Chi asked, dumping the fairly heavy construct onto Dodrio's back. The bird screeched grumpily, before bending down further and launching a mighty leap through the new hole in the roof. Shortly after, the five conscious men in the room heard the dull clunk that confirmed the unloading of Dodrio's cargo. "Wait up there," Chi called. "We'll meet you on the roof."

"Remember, don't get too close once it starts. There will be a very powerful electric field generated," Phi warned as the other four men left the room, without bothering to extract Lambda from the pile of debris that covered him. Phi scratched his head thoughtfully. "I just wonder if it will be powerful enough…"

* * *

Soon enough, the four men were stood on the roof of the Power Plant, above the generator room. Chi was adjusting the position of the top plate of the capacitor construct, under direction from Phi shouting through the hole that Dodrio had made earlier. Tau and Upsilon were stood rigidly, watching Chi blankly and waiting. Sigma was slowly affixing an earpiece, whilst staring at the clear night sky. He felt as though the stars were all watching them, watching him, awaiting the upcoming act, which was ready to begin.

"All set then," Chi called down to Phi, breathing heavily.

"Stand back, I'm going to begin," came the reply. "I'll talk through Sigma's earpiece from now on."

Chi moved away from the hole, and stood at a safer distance along with Sigma, Tau and Upsilon.

Inside the generator room, Phi flipped a switch. Though no visible change had happened, he knew that there was now an electric current flowing through the wires that had been setting up; electrons were zooming at incredible speeds from the top plate on the roof to the bottom plate below. Also, if someone happened to be watching Kanto from high up in the sky, they would have seen one of the big clusters of lights disappear suddenly.

"I'm going to increase the voltage," Sigma heard in his earpiece. All across the Kanto region, people began to wonder and panic as their lights, TVs and computers began to flicker and then turn off. Pokemon Centers and hospitals switched their systems to emergency power sources, while the police tried frantically to reboot their power.

Sigma could feel it. The atmosphere was changing. The intense electric field created using the high electrical energy from the Power Plant's generator was unnerving the sky itself. Sparks of electricity were occasionally appearing on the assembly on the roof, lighting up the otherwise dark night. "You might want to get further back," Phi warned, his voice now barely audible due to crackling. "The electromagnetic…" Sigma couldn't make out any more words after that, the interference was too great. He gestured to his companions to make some more distance between them and the still-increasing reserve of electrical charge. He took several steps back, followed by Tau and Upsilon. Chi, on the other hand, took a few steps forward.

"This… this is incredible!" he laughed, almost manically. "So much power, all in one place! It should be any minute now!" Chi, seemingly not bothered by the blood that had begun to leek out from his nose, raised his hands to the sky. "Show yourself, Zapdos, thunderous lord of the skies!" he shouted, his voice reverberating throughout the night.

Sigma felt it before it happened. One moment, the sky was clear. The next, it was swarming with thunderclouds. Lightning crashed down onto the rod on the roof time and time again, illuminating the four men in a brilliant blue light with each deafening transfer of energy. As Sigma watched, from the centre of the thunderclouds descended a huge bird, yellow feathers searing with electrical energy. Drawn to the huge build-up of positive charge, peaked by Phi increasing the voltage to maximum, the legendary Pokemon Zapdos came in to land on the roof of the Power Plant.


End file.
